Wrapping-machine.



0. C. PAGE. WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

8 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Juvculoz C. 0. PAGE.

WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1909.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(lwuenfoz Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

0. 0. PAGE.

WRAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILB, 1909. 952,273., @Patented Mar. 15,1910.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

ml llh 3.9 WQI 1,

G. 0. PAGE.

WRAPPING MACHINE. 1 APPLICATION FILED APR; 6, 1009.

Patented 1115,1910.

C. 0. PAGE.

WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 6, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1916.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

0. G. PAGE WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

B SHEETS-SHEET 6.

57 J6 J6 f4 60 I ul 1 "I I I 1 6? 75 l f- M 9 72 L 7/ [I 1 6767i /6 v 738 j 636 68 J! 75 NIH I 7 0, 0. PAGE. WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLIGATION FILEDAPR. 6 1909.

952,273., Patented Mar. 15, 1910,

8 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

' w a 7 68 L 76 25 U. G. PAGE. WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.6, 1909.

@52,2?3, Patented Mar. 15,1910.

8 SHEETS-BHEET 8.

Wilma/Joe:

,parts of the wrappin I a r MENUS? FFKQE.

CLARENCE G. PAGE, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF T0 ROBERTTUCKER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

WRAPPING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Tatent.

Application filed April 6, 1909. Serial No. M8193.

stoppage, breakage or disarrangement of the parts on account of normalvariations in th sizes of the articles wrapped.

A further object of my invention is to so combine and arrange the partsthat the act of wrapping shall be performed while the article iscontinuously moving toward its point of de iver thus increasing thecapacity of the device by eliminating periods of. rest in the progressof the article through the machine.

A further object of my invention is to so form, combine and arrange theprincipal articles will be tig tly and uniformly Wrapped,notwithstanding inequalities and ordinary variations in size.

A further object of my invention is to provide simple andeflicientmechanism for successively supplying from a continuous web ofwrapping material separate wrappers suitable to envelop the articles tobe wrapped.

Generally stated, the organized apparatus consists of mechanism forfeeding separate wrappers across the path of the article to be wrapped;mechanism for delivering the articles one by one from a magazine orother source of supply to a movable article holder or receiver intowhich the wrapper is forced or carried by the article of merchandise andby which the wrapper is partially wrapped around the article; foldingmechanism operativel associated with the article receiver for fol ingthe wrapper completely around mechanism that all mechanism for releasingthe article from the holder by which it is carried to permit itsdelivery from the machine.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention,.the :scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Fi ure 1 is a sideelevation of a wrapping mac iue embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a.view in elevation showing the delivery side of the machine, the drivinggear casing and the wrapper folding guides forming the delivery chutebeing shown in section; Fig. 3 is an enlarged, vertical, central sectionof the machine, the wrapper supply reel and its supporting standardbeing omitted, and a portion of the feed plunger and knife actuatingmechanism being shown in elem.- tion; Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 aredetail Iviews respectively, showing the relative positions successivelyassumed by the several folding devices during the wrapper foldingoperation; Fig. 10 is a. detail view of the carrier head showing therelation of the article holder and the article holder locking andcontrolling device thereto, and also showing the yieldingly supportedyoke or frame by which certain folding devices are slidingly mountedupon said head; Fig. 11 is a ver tical section taken in the plane of theline 1111, Fig. 10, the cam roll finger on the sliding yoke beingomitted,;and a portion of the spring by which the yoke is connected tothe carrier head being broken away; Fig. 12 is a detail verticalsection, taken in the plane of the line 12-42, Fig. 3, showing thecarrier head and attached folding devices, together with portions of thewrapper feeding mechanism and the spring pressed blades constituting thedelivery chute for the wrapped articles, the parts being in thepositions they occupy at the beginning of thewrapping operation; 13 is adetail View of the carrier head showing a portion of the foldingmechanism mounted thereon; Fig. 14 is a detail plan view (if the wrapperfeed rolls and the mechanism by which said rolls and. the wrappercutting device are actuated; Fig. 15 is a detail inverted plan viewofthe wrapper cuttin mechanism, its guiding and supporting rame, and theflexible article guides mounted upon saidframe; *Fig. 16 is a detailperspective View of the plunger and conveyor byfxwhich the articles tobe wrapped are transferred from the magazine or source of supply to thearticle holder mounted upon the carrier head; Fig. 17 is a detail viewshowing in end elevation the devices illustrated in Fig. 14; Fig. 18 isa transverse vertical section of the plunger and conveyer illustrated inFig. 16, showing their mode of connection; Fig. 19 is a detail viewshowing the relation of the wrapper feed rollers, the wrapper cuttingdevices and the plunger and conveyer. to their actuating mechanisms;Fig. 20 is a detail perspective view of the cam actuated latch forlocking the article holder against movement on the carrier head; Fig. 21is a detail perspective view of the yoke portion of the article holderwhich is mounted on the carrier head; Figs. 22, 23 and 24 are detailsections taken, respectively, on the planes of the lines 22-22, 23-'-23,and 2424, Fig. 3, showing the spring pressed folder blades constitutingthe delivery chute for the wrapped articles; Fig. 25 is a detail axialcross-section of the reel from which the web of wrapping material issupplied; Fig. 26 is a detail plan view of the reciprocating knife forsevering the web of wrapping material; Fig. 27 is a detail elevation ofthe flexible jointof the wrapper folder plate, the stop bar which limitsthe rotation of said plate being omitted; Fig. 28 is a detail elevationof the flexible joint of the wrapper folder plate; Fig. 29 is a detailelevation of one of the folding fingers mounted upon the rotatingcarrier head; Fig. 30 is a detail elevation of another of the foldingfingers mounted upon the rotating carrier head; and Fig. 31 is a detailelevation of a portion of one of the folding 'fingers, showing themanner of mounting the spring pressed latch bar thereon.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they'occur.

T will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that othersskilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the specific embodiment of my invention represented in the drawings,which show a machine designed to'apply wrappers to parallelopipedalarticles of merchandise, such as caramels, chocolates, soap, and thelike, 1 is the bed plate or base of the machine to which is rigidlysecured an upwardly extending standard or frame 2that is provided with ahorizontally extending sleeve 3 which forms a bearing for the main shaft4 from which all the movable parts of the mechanism receive power. Whilethe main shaft 4 may be driven in any desired manner from any suitablesource of power, it is referred to employ an electric motor for tiepurpose, and to interpose clutch mechanism' between said motor and saidmain shaft in order that the wrapping mechanism may be thrown out ofoperation at will without stopping the motor. To this end, it ispreferred to form the ower shaft 5, which may be and preferably 15 themotor shaft, as a worm which meshes with a worm wheel 6 that isrotatably mounted upon the shaft 4 within the gearcasing or housing 7carried by the bearing 'sleeve 3. The worm wheel 6 is provided'wit-hfarigidly attached friction boss or clutch member 8 that is adapted to beengaged by the inner ends of the clutch levers 9 carried by a clutchcollar 10 which is rigidly secured to the main shaft 4. The clutchlevers 9, which are pivotally mounted on the oppositely extendingclevised arms of the clutch collar by means of pivot pins 11, 11, areprovided at their outer ends with adjusting screws 12, 12 which serve toinsure the proper frictional engagement of each of the levers 9 with theworm wheel clutch member 8 when said levers are rocked on their ivots bythe cone sleeve 13, as will be readl y understood. The clutch cone 13,which is both slidably and rotatably mounted upon the main shaft 4, maybe con-' veniently actuated to throw the clutch into and out ofoperation by means of a clutch actuating lever 14 which is pivoted to abracket 15 secured to and extending outwardly from the cover plate ofthe gear casin 7.

lBo ted or otherwise suitably secured to the upper ortion of thestandard2 is the magazine rom which the articles to be wrapped are fed tothewrapping mechanism. This magazine is preferably formed as ah inclinedchute 16 the upper end of which communicates with a table 17 upon whichthe articles to be wrapped are received and from which they pass intothe said chute.

The chute, which substantially conforms in.

cross-section to the articles to be wrapped,

but which is sufficiently large to permlt the articles of merchandise tofreely drop to a position in front of the feed plunger 19, is,

preferably provided with a slotted side or opening through which thearticles may be observed and any clogging in the chute corrected; andthe table 17 is preferably provided with vertically extending marginalflanges which increase the capacity of said table and also prevent theunwrapped articles from being accidentally knocked 0d.

The lower or delivery end of the feed chute 16 is closed by areciprocating conveyer 18 which isslidi-nglyconnected to a reciprocatingfeed plunger 19 that is mounted therein. The conveyer, which ispreferably a channel member having its open side presented to thearticles in the magazine chute 16, is connected to the feed plunger 19so that said plunger and conveyer may move together, as well asindependently. For this purpose the conveyer 18' may be provided witlips or inturned flanges 20 seems the sliding of the parts on each otherthat the movement of the feed plunger 19 in the operation of deliveringan unwrapped article to. the wrapping devices causes the conveyer 18 tomove toward said wrapping devices until the stop or lug 22 formed pn therear end of the conveyer engages a portion of the chute 16. When theconveyer is thus arrested by coming in contact with the base of themagazine, the continued movement of the feed plunger .19 toward thewrapping devices pushes the article to be wrapped out of the open end ofthe conveyer 18 and thus delivers it to the wrapping devices. As soon asthe article of merchandise has been delivered to the wrapping devices,the plunger 19 retreats and carries the conveyer backwardly with ituntil the stop 23 on the forward end of said eonveyer engages a portionof the chute 16, whereupon the further movement of the conveyer in thisdirection is arrested and the feed plunger slides within said conveyeruntil it is withdrawn from beneath the articles in the magazine chute16, thus permitting another unwrapped article to descend into theconveyer in front of the feed plunger.

The special means which I prefer to employ for actuating the conveyer 18and planger 19 consist of an arm or lever 24. which is pivotallyconnected to the frame of the machine at 25 and which is provided with acam roll 26 that cooperates with a cam 27 which is rigidly secured tothe main shaft 4. In order to insure the entrance of the cam roll 26into the cam track 28 with which the face of the cam 27 is provided, thepivoted actuatin arm 24 is connected to the standard 2 o the machineframe by means of a spring 29. With such an actuating mechanism, theconveyer 18 and feed plunger 19 are formed on circular arcsthe center ofcurvature of which is the pivotal point of the actuating arm or lever24.

The reel 30 upon which the web of paper or other wrapping material isspooled is preferably mounted upon an arm or bracket 31 which isadjustably connected to the "standard 2 of the machine by means of'acap-screw 32. In order that the roll of wrapping material may unwindfreely at all times and may be readily renewed, the reel 30 ispreferably formed with a tubular journal 33 upon the inner end of whicha flanged collar 34 is rigidly mounted and upon the "outer end of whicha substantially similar flanged collar-35 is detachably secured by meansof a set screw 36. As shown in Fig. 25, the reel thus formed is securedto the bracket 211611131 by means of a' horizontally extending pin oraxle 3'? which passes through the tubularj ournal 33;;and is rigidlysecured to saidbracket. The pin .37 is formed at its outer end with ahead which engages the adjacent end of the tubular journal 33 within thebore of the flanged collar 35, thus maintaining the reel 30 in place..When it is desired to insert a new roll of wrapping paper upon thesupply reel, it is only necessary 'to loosen the set screw 36, slide theflanged collar 35 off the tubular journal 33, insert the roll of paper,replace the flanged collar 35 and tighten the set screw 36, as will bereadily understood.

Between the supply reel 30 and the wrapper feed rolls 38, 38 isinterposed a suitable tension device which insures the proper feeding ofthe web of wrapping material 39 and prevents it from wrinkling orsagging. The wrapper tension device which I prefer to employ, and whichhas proven highly eflicient 1n practice, consists of a very smooth orpolishedarc shaped plate 40 havin longitudinally extending verticalguide anges 41, 41 which are spaced apart a slightly greater distancethan the width of the web of wrap ing material employed, thus insuringthe rec passage of the wrapper over the surface of the plate between thesaid guide flanges. The vertical guide flanges -11 preferably projectsomewhat beyond the point where the web of wra ping material leaves theedge of the curved tension plate 40, as illustrated more particularly inFig. 3, while between said guide flanges at the opposite end of thetension plate a guide roller 42 is rotatably mounted on a pivot pin 43,said guide roller being arranged closely adjacent to the upper surfaceof the tension plate 40 so as to lead the web of wrapping material intocontact therewith. It is also preferred to employ a tension weight 44 inconjunction with the curved tension plate 40. This tension weight 44,which is preferably the full width of the web of wrapping material, maybe conveniently maintained in proper relation with the curved tensionplate 40 by pivotally mounting it upon a pin -15 extending between thevertical guide flanges of the tension plate. The lower free edge of thetension weight it, by bearing upon the web of wrapping material as itpasses over the surface of the tension plate, insures the desired smoothsurface of the wrapping paper and assists in maintaining a uniformtension thereon as it passes to the feed rollers 38.

The, several tension devices heretofore described are connected with thestandard 2 of the machine frame by means of a bracket 46,

said bracket being provided with an adjust 'ing slot for the passage ofa cap-screw 4.7.

In order that the tension upon the web of wrapping material as it passesbetween the feed rollers 38 may not be subject to variations due totheconstantly changing quantity of wrapping material spooled on the supplyreel 30, and in order to eliminate any slippage of the wrappingmaterialin feeding between said rollers, it is preferred to inter-poseauxiliary web feeding mechanism between the supply reel 30 andthetension devices. Such auxiliary web feeding mechanism, which isoperative to cause,the

wrapping material to be supplied to the tension devices and feed rollers38 at the necessary rate, may be formed as an arm or lever 48 which ispivotally mounted upon the standard 2 of the machine frame by means of apivot pin or screw 49, the upper end of the arm or lever being providedwith a transversely extending rod or member 50 which is of suflicientlength to passentirely under the web of wrapping material. The lever 48is so arranged that the cam roll 51 which is mounted thereon ismaintained by gravity in contact with the rotating cam 27 by which theseparts are actuated, said cam roll being of sufficient width to insureits travel upon the outer edge of said cam.

Each revolution of the cam, 27 causes thepivoted arm 48 to be rockedtoward the tension devices, thus withdrawing the web of paper from thereel 30, as Wlll be readily understood. By increasing or decreasing thelength of the lever 48, the amount of wrapper withdrawn from the supplyreel 30 at each revolution of the cam 27 may be varied without changingthe form of the cam.

The feed rollers 38 by which the web of wrapping material is fed to thecutting mechanism and to the wrapping devices are journaled in a frame52 upon the under side of which the fixed knife 53 and the movable knife54 are mounted. "One of the rollers 38 is joiii'naled in the framewithcapability of movement toward its companion, springs 55, whichare seatedin the frame and bear upon the journals of the adjustable roller,serving to maintain such pressure of one roller upon the other as willprevent-slippa e of the web of wrapping material as it is rawn betweenthem. As the springs 55 press the wrapper feed rollers to ether, it isonly necessary to drive one of said rollers positively. For this purposeit is preferred to ri idly secure to the end of one ofthe feed ro lers38 a ratchet wheel 56 that is intermittently driven by means of areciprocating rack bar 57 whichis pivotally mounted at 58 upon the camactuated arm or lever 24 by which the movable knife 54, the conveyer 18and the feed plunger 19 are operated, The ratchet wheel 56 is engaged'bya spring pressed pawl 59 which i's'p'ivotally mounted upon the feedroller frame 52, the arrangement being such that the ratchet knife 53 isarranged para .out of vertical alinement with the line of wheel andattached feed roller are permitted to revolve in but onedirection andthen only upon the retreat of the movable knife and feed plunger aftertheir respective functions of severing the web of wrapping material anddelivering the article to be wra ped to the wrapping devices havebeenper ormed. Any suitable means may be employed for so supporting therack bar that it may yield 'sutficiently to permit the teeth thereof topass over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 56 when the latter is preventedfrom rotating by the pawl 59, such means, however, preferablyconsisting, as shown, of a. tension spring 60 which is attached at oneend to the actuating lever 24 and at the other end to that arm of thepivoted rack bar 57 which is upon the opposite side .of thepivot pin 58from the toothed portion of said bar. The frame 52 with its attachedparts may be conveniently mounted upon the standard 2 of the machineframe b means of bolts 61.

It will be noted that t e extent of rotation of the feed rollers 38 isgoverned by the number of teeth in the reciprocating rack 57,

and, therefore, that the amount of wrapping material necessary to form awrapper for an article of any particular size may be regulated byincreasing or decreasing the number of such teeth. v

As heretofore described, the cutter mechanism for severing the web ofwrapping material into separate wrappers preferably consists of a fixedblade 53 and a reciprocating blade 54 which are mounted upon the frame52 beneath the wrapper feed rollers 38 journaled therein. The cuttinedge of the fixed fiel to butslightly fixed knife from moving backwardlyduring a cutting o eration. In order to insure keen cutting b ades andto obtain the desired shearing eifect,.as well as for the purpose ofpreventing the web of wrapping material from being drawn in betweenthetwo blades without being cut, the stationary knife. 53 is pressedupwardly against the reciprocating knife 54 bymeans of light springs 63which encircle and are supported b y screws or headed "pins. 64 thatpass through apertures in the fixed knife and enter and are afixed tothe supporting frame 52 :The reciprocating blade 54, which is preferablyarranged to'slide over the up er surface of the fixed blade 53 of the wesever ing device, is formed with a' cutting edge which is angular-1ydisposed with respect to the cutting edge of the complemental blade,thus insuring efficient shearing of the wrapp 1ng material. The cuttingend of the reciprocating blade is provided at one side with an extension65 which is sufficiently long to remain in contact with the fixed knife53 when the movable blade is retracted to permit the passage of the webof wrapping material. By this means the proper entrance of thereciprocating knife 54 between thetfixed knife 53 and the under side ofthe su porting frame 52 is assured and all liability of the cuttingedges of the blades injuring each other is eliminated.

As it is preferred to actuate the reci rocatmg knife 54 through theinstrumenta '-ty of theplvoted arm 24 by which the article feedingdevices and the wrapper feed rollers are actuated, the rear end of theknife is slotted or cut away to form a hollow rectangle through whichthe magazine-chute 16 passes, the slot being fsufliciently long topermit the knife to have the desired longitudinal reciprocation withoutinterference from said chute. The side bars 66 of the rec 1 rocating.knife are received by and gui ed in guide grooves formed in the frame52, while the transversely extending end bar 67-, which may bereinforced as shown in :Figs. 3 and 17, is adapted to be engaged by. theknife actuatin member 68 mounted member 68 is provided with an openended slot which is adapted to receive the transversely extending bar 67of the reciprocating knife 54. This slot is formed by two upwardlyextending, parallel arms or fingers of unequallength, the-fin er 69,which operates to withdraw the kni e 54 after theweb of wrappingmaterial has been severed, being shorter than the finger which serves toforce the reciprocating knife toward the stationary one. As will bereadily understood, when the cam actuated arm 24 to which the knifeactuatin member 68 is secured is moving away rom the magazine chute 16after an unwrapped article has been delivered to the wrapping devices,the shorter finger 69 of the member 68 will remain in contact with thecross-bar 67 of the knife 54 until, on account of the divergentdirections in which the knife 54 and member 68 are compelled to travel,the said finger 69' passes beneath the cross-bar 67 when the knife 54comes to rest. During the remainder of the movement of the knifeactuating member 68 away from the magazin'e chute 16, therefore, theknife 54 remains at rest. U on the movement of the member 68 towar themagazine chute, the 70 knife 54 remains at rest until the longer finger70 of the said member 68 engages the cross-bar 67 of the knife,whereupon the knife is forced forward to sever the web of wrappingmaterial. By increasing or .de- 5 creasing the length of the shorterknife actuating finger 69 the extent of reciprocation of the movableknife 54 may be readily controlled. 1

In addition to the hereinbefore described devices which are associatedwith the supporting frame 52, said frame is also referably provided witha plurality o horizontally spaced flexible guides 71 beneath which thearticle to be wrapped is forced by the feed plunger 19 in its 0 rationof de liv'ering the article of mere andise to the wrapping devices.These flexibleguides 71, which may be conveniently secured to the end ofthe frame 52 b means of a plate 72 and screws 73, are pre erably in theform of leaf sprin s which are bowed or curved downward y from the undersurface of the fixed knife so as to insure the proper entrance of thearticle and its wrapper into the article holder 74 mounted upon the revolving carrier head, the free ends of the leaf springs being preferablyin contact with the under surface of the said knife at points adjacentto the cutting edge thereof, to 0 thereby eliminate any possibility ofthe incoming wrapper catching upon the ends of said guides. To certainlyprevent the incoming web of wrapping material from catching upon thebottom of the magazine 195 chute 16, shields or guides 75 may be, andpreferably are, also provided. These shields or guides, which arearranged vertically in parallel relation upon either side of the opening in the chute through which the conveyer 1 1 8 and feed plunger 19operate, extend forwardly from the lower end of said chute upon whichthey are mounted toward the fixed knife 53, and terminates at asufficient distance from the cutting edge thereof to permit the freeassage of the wrapper. The lower edges of the shields 7 5 are curved orcutaway to avoid coming in contact with the wrapper when the articlewith the said wrapper partly folded around it is being carried towardthe ivoted folder member or plate 76 by the a 'icle holder 74.

The article holder 74, which is preferably a thin, fiat, resilient platethat is adapted to ass between the leaf spring article guides 41 carriedby the frame 52, is rigidly attached, as by screws 77 to a locking yoke78 which is pivotally connected to the rotating carrierhead 7 9 by meansof a pivot pin 80.

In order to insure strength and compactness 13;

Eit

.which receive the carrier head 79 between them, the carrier headadjacent to said arms Leing depressed or countersunk so that the outersurface of each of said arms -is flush with the corresponding outersurface of the said member 79. The article holder or receiver 74, whichis thus pivotally mounted upon the carrier head, is preferably arrangedso that it constantly tends to assume a position in which it is adaptedto receive and hold the article to be wrapped, springs 81, which arelocated in slots in the carrier head 79 and are attached to said headand to the locking yoke 78, being employed for this purpose.

In order to lock the article holder 74 and yoke 78 against pivotalmovement on the carrier head 79, as well as for the purpose ofwithdrawing said holder from engagement with the article at the propertime in the course of the wrapping operations, an article holder lockingand controlling device is employed. This locking and controlling deviceis preferably formed with two connected, parallel arms 82 which receivethe rotating carrier head 79 between them and which are perforated toreceive the pivot pin 83 by which the device is movably mounted uponsaid head. Secured to the pivot arms 82, and extending upwardlytherefrom so as not to interfere with the pivotal movement of thearticle holder 74, is a locking finger or member 84 the upper end ofwhich, as shown in Fig. 10, is adapted to stand under the shoulder atthe upper end of the locking yoke 78 and thus lock the article holder 74against pivotal movement on the carrier head. Also extending upwardlyfrom the pivot arms 82 and preferably formed as an integral extension ofone of them, is an arm 85 which operates to rotate the article holder 74upon the carrier head 79. This article holder actuating member 85 ispreferably offset near its upper end so that. it may pass between andapply power intermediate of the pivot arms of the yoke 78. As shownmoreparticularly in Fig. 10, when the article holder 74 is in lockedposition, its locking and controlling device is capable of sufficientindependent pivotal movement on the in 83 to allow the locking finger 84to be withdrawn from be neath the locking shoulder of the yoke 78 beforethe article holder actuating arm 85 engages and rotates said yoke andthe attached article holder. The locking and controlling device isnormally maintained in locked position by means of springs 86 which arerespectively connected to the rotating carrier head 79 and to theadjacent pivot arm 82 of said locking and controlling seams device thesaid springs being referahly located in depressions or recesses ormed onopposite sides of the varrier head.

As it is desirable that the operation of the article holder 74, whenbeing withdrawn from holding engagement with the article, shall bepositive, it is referred to actuate the locking and control ling devicethrough the instrumentality of a cam roll 87 which is journaled upon a,in 88 that is ri idly connected to the locking finger 84 an extendshorizontally therefrom toward the stationary cam 89 which is looselymounted upon the main shaft 4, the said pin 88 beof roper length topermit the cam ro lto ollow the inner cam track of said cam. its will bereadily understood by reference to Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, of thedrawings, during the revolution ofthe carrier head 79 the springs 86maintain the article holder locking and controlling device -in lockedposition until the cam roll 87 thereof reaches the point 90 on the innercam track of the stationary cam 89, when the locking finger 84 iswithdrawn from beneath the shoulder on the locking yoke 78 and the saidyoke and attached article holder 74 are rotated upon the pivot pin 80 bythe actuating arm 85, thus releasing the article of merchandise from theholder. The article holder, locking yoke, and the locking andcontrolling devices for the.

article holder remain in this released or unlocked position until, bythe continued rota tion of the carrier head, the cam roll 87 is oppositethe depression 91 in the cam 89, when the springs 81 and 86 return theseveral parts to their normal or locked positions. 7

The cam 89, whichis mounted upon the main shaft 4, is maintained in astationary or fixed position by means which preferably consist of an arm92, the bifurcated end of which embraces the stud 25 carried. by themachine frame and the opposite disk-like end of which is rigidly securedto the said cam by screws 93. The cam 89 and its holding member 92 maybe maintained on the main shaft 4 by means of a washer 94 and a screw 95which passes through said Washer and has threaded engagement with saidshaft.

Rigidly mounted uponthe carrier head 79 and passing between the pivotarms ofthe locking yoke 78 so as not to interfere with the opening orunlocking movement of the article holder 74 is an article ejector 96which forms a stop for the article to be wrappedwhen the atter isdelivered to the article holder by the conveyer 18 and feed plunger 19.This ejector, as will be readily understood upon reference toFigs. 8 and9 of the drawings, serves to force the article into the delivery chutewhen said article is freed from the holder 74.

Secured to and preferably formed integral with the carrier head 79 is awrapper sup- .port and guide 97 which is arranged to coact with thewrapper folding plate 76. This wrapper support and guide, the outersurface of which is preferably formed as the segment of a circularcylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of the main shaft 4, extendsin the direction of rotation of the carrier head sufiiciently far beyondthe article ejector 96 to insure the portion of the wrapper which isoperated upon by the wrapper folding plate 76 being received upon thetop of said plate. Preferably, however, the form and arrangement of theparts is such that the leading end of the wrapper support and guidemember 97 has advanced beyond the inner end of the folding plate 76before the article to be wrapped is delivered to the article holder 74.

In order the more certainly to insure the delivery of the free end ofthe. wrapper upon the upper surface of the folding plate 76, as well asto permit articles which vary somewhat in size to be received by andfirmly held in the article holder 74, the wrapper support and guide 97is preferably provided with a flexible facing or spring tongue 98 whichis'secured to the leading. end of the said member 97 and extends fromthence toward the ejector 96 adjacent to which it terminates. From itspoint of attachment to its free end, the spring tongue 98 graduallydiverges from the outer curved face of the wrapper support and guide 97,thus permitting the desired spring action or adjustability of thefacing.

Slidingly mounted upon the carrier head 79, so as to be movable towardand from the article to be wrapped, is a folder supporting member orframe 99 to which certain of the devices that operate to make the endfolds of the wrapper are movably connected. This supporting frame, whichpreferably completely embraces and closely fits the carrier head 79, andwhich in the present instance is shown as rectangular, is preferablyprovided with parallel guide bars 100 which extend upon either side andin sliding contact with a mating guide rib or member 101 formed upon thecarrier head. The guiding means thus provided prevent the movable frame99 from binding upon the carrier 79 when sliding thereon; The frame 99islpreferably actuated through the instrumentality of a cam finger 102which is rigidly connected to said frameand upon which is journaled acam roll 103 "that cooperates with the outer'cam face ofthe stationarycam 89 A spring 104, which is attached to the frame 99 and to thecarrier head 79, serves to maintain the cam roll 103 in contact with theface of the cam 89 and to constantly tend to moyesaid frame toward thearticle holder 74, as wilF be readily under- 105, are two primary fo i gmembers fingers 106 which function as means for making the initial endfolds in the wrapper. These fingers 106, which are arranged uponopposite sides of the carrier head 79, are

longitudinally slotted to permit the passage of the main shaft 4 withoutinterfering with the sliding movements of said fingers with respect tosaid carrier head. The ends of the folding fingers 106 which areadjacent to the article holder 74 are preferably formed as thin bladesor tongues which narrow in width toward their ends. such a constructioninsuring the proper form of the first end fold of the wrapper andpermitting the subsequentlv operating. or secondary folding fingers 111to perform their functions while the initial end fold of the wrapper ismaintained in place-by the initially operating fingers 106. As shownmore particularlv in Fig. 12. the wrapper engaging ends of the foldingfingers 106 are pressed or forced toward each other by means of springs107 which are seated in the sliding rectangular frame 99 and bear upontheir respective foldin fingers. In order to insure that the ends of thefolding members 106 shall not strike against the article being wrappedas they are advanced toward it, the carrier head 79 is provided withoppositely disposed lugs 108 which maintain the wrapper engaging ends ofthe said folding fingers in proper spaced relation to receive betweenthem articles which may be of somewhat larger size than normal. Theselugs, which are adapted to enter the longitudinally extending slots inthe folding fingers 106 when said fingers are moved a suflicientdistending plate or guide member 110. Operating between each of thefolding fingers 100 and its attached guide plate 110 are two pivotallymounted secondary folding fingers 111 which are movable toward eachother to fold the ends of the wrapper over the folds formed by theinitially operating folding fingers 106. To simplify the construc tion,the folding fingers 111 of each pair are preferably pivotally connectedto their adjacent fingers 106 at common pivotal points, pivot s crews112, which have threaded engagement with the pivoted ends of the saidfingers 106, being employed for the purpose. The secondaryfoldingfingers 111 of each pair are respectively connected by springs113 which constantly tend to cause the wrapper engaging ends of thefingers to move toward each other, said fingers 111 being suitablvrecessed to permit them to close around the guide plate lug 109. Inorder to maintain the'secondary folding fingers in an open orinoperative position until after they have been properly advancedopposite the ends of the article being wrapped, it is preferred topivotally mount upon one of the fingers 111 of each pair a bar or latch11 i which is adapted to engage a pin or stop 115 carried by the otherfinger of each pair to thus prevent the springs 113 from causing thesaid secondary folding fingers to close. The latches 114, after beingdisengaged from their locking abutments or pins 115 by the main shaft 4,as will hereinafter more fully appear, are returned tolocking engagementwith said pins by means of springs 116, which are seated on the foldingfingers to which the said latches are respectively pivoted, lugs orstops 117, which are formed on the folding fingers 111, serving toprevent said latches from rotating past their pins 115, as will bereadily understood.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, of the drawings,the inner faces of the folding fingers 111 are formed with inclinedfaces 118 which, by engagement with the main shaft t, cause the wrapperengaging ends of the said lingers to separate when the frame 99 uponwhich these folding devices are mounted moves away from the articleholder 74. As shown, these inclined faces 118 are preferably so locatedthat the wrapper engaging ends of the secondary folding fingers 111 donot begin to separate until after said fingers have executed a ortion oftheir movement of withdrawal rom engagement with the partially wrappedarticle. By this means the end folds of the wrapper which are made bythe secondary folding fingers are very perfectly formed, and are tightlypressed against theinitial end folds formed by the primary foldingfingers 106.

The wrapper folding plate 76, which is preferably slightly wider thanthe web of wrapping material and which operates to complete the foldingof the wrapper around the sides of the article of merchandise, is

flexibly mounted upon a suitable stationary part of the machine,preferably by means of a clevised link 119 which is pivotally attachedto said plate and to the upper end of the supporting member 120 uponwhich the parallel blades forming the delivery chute are mounted.Rigidly secured to the transverse bar of the clevised linlrmember 119 isa plate 121 the upper end of which forms a stop limiting the pivotalmovement of the folder plate 76, and the lower end of which is slottedto receive a screw 122 that has threaded engagement with the supportingmember 120. By means of a spring 123, which is interposed between andbears upon the member 120 and plate 121, the clevised link 119 isyieldin 1y maintained in position and may be a justed to properly position the folder plate 76 with respect to the rotating carrier head 79.The spring 124, which encircles the pivot pin connecting the folderplate 76 to the linlc119, is arranged with'one of its ends in contactwith the under side of the plate .76 and with its other end inengagement with a portion of the link 119, the folder plate being thusyieldingly supported in such manner that it constantly tends to rotateto the uppermost position which the stop plate or bar 121 will permit itto assume. When the folder plate is in its uppermost position, the freeedge thereof opposite its plvot is adapted to have sliding contact withthe outer surface of the flexible facing or spring tongue 98 until theleading side of the article being wrapped causes said plate 76 to turnon its flexible joint and permit the article to pass. During themovement of the article of merchandise past the folder plate 76, thelatter adjusts itself to the surface of the article and completes thefolding of the wrap er around the sides thereof, as will be rea ilyunderstood upon reference to Fi s. 4 to 7, inclusive, of the drawings.hen the article of merchandise and its holder 74 have been carried pastthe folder late 76, the springs 123 and 124 return said plate to itsuppermost or normal position.

For the purpose of forming the final end folds of the wrapper, it isreferred to employ parallel foldin bla es 125 between which the article0 merchandise is comlled to travel after it has been released rom thearticle holder 74: and is being carried or driven forward by the ejectormember 96 of the carrier head 79. These parallel folding members 125,which, as ShOWIl, may be of sufiicient length to constitute a deliverychute for the wrapped articles, are so arranged with relation to thewrapper folding plate 76 and the cam 89 by which the folding fingers 106and 111 are operated as to receive the article between them after thewrapper has been operated upon by said plate and folding fingers. Inorder to insure the proper entry of the article between the blades 125,as well as for the urpose of efficiently forming thefinal end olds ofthe wrapper, the entrance ends of said blades are provided with inclinedfaces which form a spla mouthed channel the sides of which gra uallyassume a parallel released from the article holder 7% of the carrier,and the inclined portions of said blades forming the sides of thechannel adjacent to said curved bottom preferably decrease in heighttoward the entrance end of said channel. Asshown more particularly inFig. 24:, the upper faces of the folder blades 125 may, if desired, beprovided with inwardly projectin flexible stri s 127 which extend fromthe de ivery ends 0 said blades forwardly throughout the portion of thechannel which is of uniform depth, the completely wrapped articles beingthus certainly retained in the chute until they pass out at the deliveryend. In order that the folder blades may be permitted to automat--ically adjust themselves to articles which vary in size from the normal,as well as for the purpose of allowin the blades to be firmly pressedagainst the end folds of the wrapped article, said blades 125 arepreferably mounted upon a stationary supporting member 120 so as to bemovable toward and from each other, a'con'venient arrangement being tointer ose said supporting member between said b ades so that the bottomforming'flanges 126 of the latter rest. upon the top of the supporting;member. The delivery portions 0 the older blades are yieldinglysupported and pressed toward each other by means of sprlngs 128 whichbear upon the blades and upon washers that are carried b screws 129which pass through the said lades and have threaded engagement with thesupporting member 120, while the entrance ends of said folder blades arepreferably similarly pressed or drawn together by means ofa connectingspring 130.

The construction of the wrapping machine being substantially such ashereinbefore pointed out, its operation will be as follows. Assumingthat the proper length of wrapping material to form a wrapper has beenfed through and depends from the feed rollers 38, and that the magazinechute 16 has been supplied with the articles to be wrap ed, the clutchactuating lever 15 ismove to the proper position. to cause the mainshaft 4 to be driven by the power shaft throu h the instrumentality ofthe interposed c utch -mechanism. As the rotating carrier head 79 movesthe t attached article holder 74 past the flexible article guides 71attached to the under side of the frame 52 in which the feed rollers arejournaled, the cam roll 26 of the feed plunger actuating lever 24 movesto the position in the cam track 28 illustrated in Fig. 3 thus causingthe conveyer 18 and feed plunger 19 to deliver an unwrapped article tothe article holder 74, as heretofore described. .Inpushing the unwrappedarticle beneath the fiexible guides 71 and into the holder 74, thewrapper, which depends across the path of travel of the article, isformed or folded aroundthe top, bottom and rear side of the article, aswill be readily understood. As the conveyer and plunger complete theoperation of delivering the article to the rotating carrier or articletransporting means, the knife actuating finger bracket 68 carried by theplunger controlling arm 24 engages the crossbar 67 of the movable knife54 and causes the latter to co-act with the fixed knife 53 to sever theweb of wrapping material. The cam track 28 in the cam 27 is s0 designedthat, following the delivery of the article to the holder 74 of thearticle carrier, the pivoted actuatlng arm 2st carrying the cam roll 26is forced rearwardly quickly enough to withdraw the conveyer l8 and feedplunger 19 from the path of travel of the article as it is carriedforward in the article holder. After the cam roll 26 has passed out ofthe cam track 28 in the cam 27, it rolls upon the outer face of said camuntil it a ain enters the cam track to permit the feed plunger, conveyerand movable knife to perform their respective feeding and cuttingfunctions. As heretofore explained, the rearward movement of the pivotedactuatin 'arm 24 causes the conveyer 18 and feed plunger 19 to bebrought to a position in which another unwrapped article is delivered tothe conveyor in front of the feed plunger; it also causes the mov ableknife 54 to be withdrawn suficiently to permit the web of wrappingmaterial to pass etween the cutting edges of the knives; and it alsocauses the rack bar 57 to drive the ratchet wheel 56 and thus rotate thewra J per feed rollers 38 sufficiently to supply t e proper amount ofwrapping material necessary to form a single wrapper. As will be seenupon reference to Fig. 3, the cam roll 26 carried by the feed plungeractuating arm 24, ,and the cam roll 51 mounted upon the pivoted arm 48which intermittently draws the web of wrap ing material from the reel30, are so related to their actuatin cam 27 ,t-hat' the web of wrappingmateria is Withdrawn from the reel-during the dwell of the said feedplunger actuating arm in a retracted position.

As the rotating carrier moves the article of merchandise to and past theflexibly mounted folder late 76, the latter adjusts itself to the snrace of the article and coinpletes the folding of the wrapper around thesides thereof, as previously described.

While the upper side of the partially Wrapped article is still incontact with the plate 76, the cam roll 103, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7,reaches such a position with respect to the stationary cam 89 that thespring 104. is permitted to draw the folder finger supporting frame 99toward the article holder 7 4: of the carrier, thus advancing thefolding fingers 106 over the ends of the article and forming the initialend folds. Near the end of this sliding movement of the frame 99 towardthe article holder, the pivoted latch bars 114 are disengaged from theirlocking abutments or pins 115, thus permitting the springs 113 to drawthe wrapper engaging ends of the secondary folder fingers 111 togetherand fold the ends of the wrapper from each side over the initialendfolds formed by the primary folding fingers 106. As shown in Fig. 8,and as heretofore described, the rectangular frame 99 is retracted andthe primary and secondary folding fingers mounted thereon are releasedfrom engagement with the partially wrapped article as the cam roll 103thereafter moves outwardly from the main shaft 1 over the surface of thestationary cam 89. The disengagement of the folding fingers 106 and- 111is preferably not finally accomplished until the article is well withinthe splay mouthed channel formed by the folder blades 125. When therotation ofthe head 79 of the carrier by which the article istransported has advanced the cam roll 87 of the article holder lockingand opening device to the shoulder 90 on the inner cam track of thestationary cam 89, the locking finger 84: is withdrawn from lookingengagement with the yoke 78,-and said yoke and the article holder 74mounted thereon are rotated by the, actuating arm 85 to release thearticle of merchandise from the holder. The holder 74. remains in thisreleased or unlocked position until it passes the folder blades 125 andagain approaches the position where another unwrapped article isdelivered to the carrier by the conveyer 18 and feed plunger 19, when,the cam roll 87 having reached the depression 91 in the cam 89, thesprings 81 and 86 return the article holder 74 and its locking mechanismto their locked positions. When the article holder 7 1 is withdrawn fromengagement with the partially wrapped article, the latter is forcedbetween the folderblades 125 by means of the article ejector 96, thefinal end folds of the wrapper being thus formed by the blades I 125 andthe completely wrapped article beingv moved into position under theflexible retaining strips 127 of the delivery chute. The completelywrapped articles are forced out of the delivery end of the chute by theentry of succeedin articles, as will be readily understood. T e cycle ofoperations described is repeated at each rotation of the main shaft 4and attached carrier.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a constantly movingcarrier for transporting an article to be wrapped, of wrapper foldingmechanism, and means movable into the path of the carrier for deliveringan unwrapped article to the constantly moving carrier.

2. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a constantly movingcarrier for transporting an article and the Wrapper therefor, saidcarrier being provided with an article holder having its leading sideopen, of wrapper folding devices for completel y folding the Wrap perabout the article as said article is transported by said carrier, and aplunger for delivering the article to the article holder throughthe openleading side thereof.

3. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier fortransporting an article to be wrapped, of a folder plate extending intothe path of travel of the article, said folder plate being supported ona bodily movable yielding pivot to permit the article to pass.

4. ha wrapping machine, the combination with a constantly moving carrierfor transporting the article to be wrapped, said carrier being providedwith a pivoted article holder, of wrapper folding mechanism mppnted onsaid carrier and movable toward and from said holder, pivotally mountedplunger movable into the path of the carrier for delivering an articleto the article holder of said carrier, and means for actuating saidarticle delivering means.

5. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier fortransporting an article and the Wrapper therefor, of a magazine chutefor containing the articles to be wrapped, means for folding the wrapper about the article, a reciprocating conveyer forming a closure forsaid chute and supporting an unwrapped article prior to its delivery tothe carrier, a plunger slidably mounted in the conveyer for forcing theunwrapped article from the conveyer, and means for actuating saidconveyer'and said plunger. I

6. In a wrapping machine, the combination with wrapper foldingmechanism, of mechanism for feeding the articles to said wrapper foldingmechanism, said article feeding mechanlsm comprising a magazine chutefor containing the articles to be wrapped, a curved reciprocatingconveyer adapted to form a closure for the chute and to support anarticle to be wrapped, a correspondingly curved plunger slidably mountedseams on said conveyer, and means for reciprocating said conveyer andplunger.

7. In a wrapping machine, the combination with wrapper foldingmechanism, of mechanism for feeding the articles to said wrapper foldingmechanism, said article feeding mechanism comprising a curvedreciprocating conveyor of channel form, a correspondingly curved feedplunger slidably mounted in said conveyor, said conveyor and feedplunger having frictional engagement, and a pivoted member for actuatingsaid conveyer and plunger.

'8. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a constantly rotatingshaft, of a stationary cam, a rotating cam, constantly rotating carrierfor transporting the article to be wrapped, means for feeding acontinuous web of wrapping material to mechanism whereby it is cut intoseparate wrappers, mechanism for severing the Web of wrapping materialto form separate wrappers, means for delivering successive articles tothe rotating carrier, and wrapper folding devices mounted upon saidcarrier, said rotating cam actuating said web feeding means, said webcutting mechanism and said articledelivery means, and said staztionarycam actuating said wrapper folding devices.

9.. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of a flexible article holder .movably mounted thereon, means for lockingsaid holder against movement on said head, and means which constantlytend to cause said holder to assume a locked position.

10. In a Wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of an article holder pivotally mounted thereon, pivoted means forlocking said holder against rotation on said head, means for unlockingsaid holder and causing it to rotate to an article releasing position,and a spring operating to rotate said holder to locked position.

11. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of an article holder movably mounted on said head, a wrapper supportconnected to said head, said wrapper sup ort having a flexible facing,and a yielding folder plate adapted to have sliding contact with saidflexible facing. V

12. In a wrapping machine, the combina tion with a rotating carrierhead, of a wrapper folding finger movabl mounted on the carrier head andadapte .;to form an end fold, and wrapper folding fingers. movablymounted on said first named folding finger and adapted to form end foldsat the same .end of the wrapper.

x213". In a "wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrierhead, of a wrapper folding finger slidably mounted on the a carrier headand adapted to form an end fold,land wrapper folding fingers pivotallymounted on said slidably mounted finger and adapted to form endfolds atthe same end of the wrapper.

14. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of a folder supporting frame slidably mounted thereon, Wrapper foldingfinger-s pivotally mounted on said frame and arranged on opposite sidesof the carrier head, and a plurality of wrapper folding fingerspivotally mounted upon each of said first named fingers.

15. In a Wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of an article holder movably mounted thereon, pivoted Wrapper foldingfingers which are slidably mounted upon said head so as to move towardand from said holder, a latch for preventing pivotal movement of thefolding fingers except at a predetermined point in their slidingmovement, and means for actuating said latch to permit a pivotalmovement of the folding fingers.

16. In a Wrapping machine, the combina tion with a rotating carrierhead, of an article holder mounted thereon, a folder supporting frameslidably mounted on said head, a spring connecting said frame to saidhead and operating to move said frame toward said holder, oppositelydisposed wrapper folding fingers pivotally mounted on said frame,springs interposed between said fingers and the frame, saidspringsconstantly tending to move the wrapper engaging ends of said fingerstoward each other, Wrapper folding fingers pivotally mounted on each ofsaid first named fingers, and means for causin said last named fin ersto turn upon their pivots.

1 In a wrapping machine, the combination with a rotating carrier head,of an article holder pivotally. mounted thereon, means for preventingthe rotation of the article holder upon the carrier head, a wrap- Hersupport connected to said head, a curved exible facin for said wrappersupport, a wrapper folding plate whic is adapted to slidingl engage saidflexible facing, a cam actuated folder supporting frame slidably mountedon said head, a spring connecting said frame to said head, oppositelydisposed wrapper folding fingers pivotally mounted on said frame,springs interposed between said fin gers and the said frame, saidsprings constantly tending to move the wrapper enother, wrapper foldingfingers pivotally mounted on said first named fingers, and springs formoving the Wrapper engaging ends of said last named fingers toward eachother.

gaging ends of said fingers toward each.

18. In awrappingmachine the combination with a movable article-holderprovided with .a resilient plate, of flexible article guides arranged atthe sides of said plate, and means tor forcing the article to be Wrappedbeneath the resilient plate of said holder.

19. In a Wrapping machine, the combination With a carrier head, of anarticle holder movably mounted thereon, an article ejector rigidlymounted on the carrier head adjacent to the said holder, means for movinsaid holder with respect to said head, and

means torlocking said holder against movement on said head.

20. in a Wrapping machine, the combinaticn with means for feeding acontinuous Web of Wrapping material, of a fixed knife, a movable knife,flexible article guides engaging said fixed knife, means for feedinganarticle to hewrapped to said guides, and means for applying a Wrapperto the article. I ,21. in a Wrapping machine, the combination With means:tor feeding a continuous Web of Wrapping material, of relativelymovable knives forsevering said Web, curved flexible article guidesengaging one of said knives adjacent to its cutting edge, means forfeeding an articleto, he Wrapped to said new tiele to be Wrapped intoengagement With said resilient means, and means for applying a Wrapperto the article.

23. in a Wrapping machine, the combination with a magazine chute forcontaining the articles to be wrapped, of Wrapper tolding mechanism,means for delivering the articles from the said chute to the saidWrapper folding mechanism, means for feeding" a continuous Web ofWrapping material, a fixed knife, a reciprocating knife which is slottedto receive the magazine chute, and means for actuating saidreciprocating knife.

in testimony whereof ll aflix my signature,

in presence oftwo "Witnesses.

@LAREENCE 6. Pill TE.

Witnesses Ami-inn Lanesn'rn, LYDIA MAY.

